Armand Duplantis of Sweden competes in the men’s pole vault heats on August 3.

Few athletes can claim to be as dominant in their disciplines as star athlete Mondo Duplantis, who broke the pole vault world record seven times.

Her latest record of 6.23 metres, set at last year’s world championships, is 7 centimetres above the previous record set by an athlete in the sport’s history, a testament to her dominance in pole vaulting over the past four years.

Duplantis’ medal count is also impressive, with one Olympic gold and four world titles (two indoor, two outdoor) and he is aiming for more success at this year’s Olympics in Paris.

As for world records, Duplantis says he’s not done yet.

“I want to be dominant in the sport because I know I can achieve it. I try to win every competition and get the best out of myself in every event I participate in.”

Duplantis puts chalk on his hands on August 3.

Her sporting background runs deep in the Duplantis family: her father was a former pole vaulter and her mother was a heptathlete competing for Sweden.

A pole vaulter who has been around for almost as long as she could walk, she took her first steps in the sport at the age of three in her family’s backyard in Lafayette, Louisiana, where a track, bars and crash mat were set up for her and her siblings to use.

While most athletes begin the sport in their teenage years, for Duplantis it has been a lifelong passion, and his childhood hobby has slowly turned into a successful career.

Duplantis speaks with American Sam Kendricks before competing in the qualifying round on August 3.

He says he never tires of the feeling of climbing into the air, bending his body over a bar, and falling back down to the ground.

Pole vaulting, one of the more technical events in athletics, requires a unique blend of speed, strength and flexibility. Duplantis says the mental aspect is as important as the physical requirements.